December 26, 2023
Cape May Warbler, Patagonia 12-26-23
I couldn’t make this up. A Cape May Warbler showed up on December 23 along the main drag in Patagonia next to the marijuana dispensary, hmmmm. It has moved around a bit, but has been easy to find. It seems to be an adult male in mostly breeding plumage. Is this a sign that the end of the world is nigh? No, it isn’t, I think. Maybe I’m just easily amazed.
The above pix is at 25% of the full sized image resolution. It foraged in a large juniper in good light seemingly oblivious to the lenses pointed at it from 10 feet. I visited the site on the 24th and got good pics, but from almost too far away. So today I returned with Ted Wolff. I hoped to see the Cassin’s Finch and Dickcissel that had been seen recently. They did not show.
There was also a Downy Woodpecker in the woods along the creek behind Paton’s found by Cathy Beck last week. Very rare in Santa Cruz County. I saw it on 12-24-23. It was a no-show on 12-26-23.
I will not comment on the proposal to mass change bird names. I will not discuss politics in this blog.
Cape May Warbler, Patagonia 12-26-23
Cape May Warbler, Patagonia 12-26-23
Cape May Warbler, Patagonia 12-26-23
Downy Woodpecker, Paton’s, 12-24-23
